So Fun It's Frightening

“Spooky Cross stood out from all the other races last year," said Luke Arens of Corridor Devo. "It was a fun, warm, and fast race. I loved the long off-camber early in the race because usually races don’t have challenging off-cambers like that.” 

“Last year was my first year but definitely not my last time racing Spooky Cross. I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun race that will help you grow your skill but also is not impossibly hard.”

​Another relative newcomer, Kimberly Breuer of Waterloo, agreed: "My first cyclocross race was actually Spooky Cross two years ago! I had never raced anything before, I don't know a lot about bikes, and my back wheel came off in the practice lap. I still had enough fun that I came back again."

photos by Angy Snoop (angysnoop.smugmug.com/)

Last year, when Spooky moved to its new venue Altoona Campus, Kimberly was not disappointed. "The venue and atmosphere of this race are both really spectator- and beginner-friendly. The course has a nice variety of terrain with flat sections, long uphills, wide open sections, and some weaving through a wooded area. ​

"There was a more challenging part of the course that had an off-camber dirt section that turned immediately into a steep hill. I fell off my bike on that section, somehow landed on my feet, and someone yelled 'great dismount!'

"I did not dress up or race the Costume Race, but I had a blast watching it. Some guy pulled a beer trailer behind his bike on the course, which was great."

This second year at Altoona Campus will build on the success of 2018. "Last year was a bit of a scramble to get things in place and a course put together," said Race Director Justin Guiter.  "This year we were able to get the course mowed in a lot earlier, which was great to do get some laps with a mower. From the feedback we received we decided to keep a lot of the same course with some slight changes for Saturday and Sunday. ​

"We added 'Cooper's Climb,'  a short punchy climb through an eerie tree section. You may recall 'Gopher Hole Hill' from last year. We added that in following 'Cooper's Climb,' but not to worry, we tamed it down a bit."

Some plans for the course are still up in the air for now. "On Friday we learned road construction would close the north (main) entrance to the Altoona Campus for about two weeks," explained Guiter. "All the traffic to the Campus would be routed to the west entrance. That was a bit problematic as we used the west entrance road as part of the course. We had to get a little creative with the course design and change up a few things from last year, including the installation of a bridge across the creek that dissects the course.

"As of now we have three courses in the books. The road construction is moving quickly and hopeful the north entrance of the Altoona Campus will be open for the race weekend. But if it is not, we have our plan in place."

That infamous off-camber-to-climb section from Saturday last year? It'll be back. ​"The run-up from Saturday will be more of a true run up than last year. It will be a definite challenge to ride this year. I'm excited to see if anyone can."​

Spooky Cross is next weekend, October 26 & 27, at the Altoona Campus. That's just over an hour and a half from Iowa City, about two from Cedar Rapids. Registration is at USA Cycling.

Spooky Cross is a fundraiser for JDRF.

Nothing   Says   Cyclocross   like   a   Halloween   Costume

Save some energy if you race Saturday morning, or get a good warm up if you race later, because at 1:30 Saturday it's game on for the third annual Spooky Cross Costume Race.

"The Costume Race will have the same format as last year with a shortened course and two laps," explained Guiter. "There are three criteria our judges will be looking at in crowning the winner:  1) Your finishing position in the race,  2) Your costume, and 3) Theatrics (your character). 
"This will be the third year of the Costume Race and I'm anxious to see if our returning two-time winner will take it again this year. I'm not sure on the algorithm the judges have for determining the winner, but I'm sure it's quite complex." 

BIKEIOWA's Jason Scholbrock offered some advice for newcomers to the Costume Race: "Make it fun, make it clever (see Vance Fletcher last year), and make certain you can ride your bike in it.
"Josh Rice from Lincoln won the first two Costume Races and rightfully so... in 2018 he rode a cargo bike disguised as a beer truck a la Smokey and the Bandit, complete with a hefty stash of cold Busch Lights which were consumed on the steep run-up. 
"Oh, and I am very much looking forward to it. The Costume Race is the highlight of every Iowa cyclocross season!"